


Four Times Fonzie and Richie Almost Bought a House Together (and the One Time They Did)

by PineapplePrincess



Category: Happy Days
Genre: Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Family, Five Times, Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-03 06:47:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2841848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PineapplePrincess/pseuds/PineapplePrincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Richie's idea, buying the house...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Four Times Fonzie and Richie Almost Bought a House Together (and the One Time They Did)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gaialux](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaialux/gifts).



Richie’s the one who suggests they buy the house. Fonzie – who’s lived out of a single room for his entire life and needs nothing more than a little elbow room to be happy – raises an eyebrow and suggests that Richie’s getting soft on him.

But Richie is absolutely adamant – if they’re going to be together he wants something more than a raunchy bachelor pad to operate from. He’ll likely be travelling the world in a few years when his degree’s complete; it will be easier to establish things now, when they have less experience under their belt and a lot more money in the bank thanks to Richie’s folks generosity. 

To Richie’s embarrassment, Howard insists on coming house hunting with them. He insists that he can get a better deal than either man might on their own, and Fonzie – who’s gradually become even more like a son to him as time had passed – didn’t gainsay him. So three abreast they went from house to house, searching for the proper place to begin their life, quietly pretending that they were simply in search of a ‘bachelor pad’ to avoid the questions of any misunderstand-bearing outsiders. 

Richie discovers during this jaunt that he’s surprisingly hard to please. One house lacks a sense of charm – another lacks proper sunlight. This one’s too small and that one’s too dark. Fonzie’s only question rings out more and more often as they pass through house after house – does it have a garage? 

Two months into their quest Richie finds the right place – it’s on the other side of town, on a lane lined with buttercups and tiger lilies, a suburban place about as bucolic as the Cunningham place. Fonzie can get to the garage from it in fifteen minutes, and it’s less than twenty from college. They’ll have plenty of room for visiting friends, cousin and relatives, and- most importantly – there’s room enough for a study for Richie and a built-in garage for Fonzie to putter in. 

There’s only one problem – Fonzie is shockingly resistant to change. Richie might have realized that from his earlier behavior, his anger whenever a friend moved away or a major negative change happened in their lives, but he was unprepared for it anyway; Richie had blindly seen the move as solely a positive thing. In trying to decide the best course of action they fought over the logistics of the move. Fonzie wants to make a contribution to the money they’re putting into the place, and Richie can only comment that all of his money is coming from his folks’ bank account; the move will leave them in debt to Howard and Marian but it will also free them in the long run, as they reach forever and firmly for the mantle of adulthood.

They end up playing rock-paper-scissors over the final decision – the choice, as Hoagy Carmichael once said, between staying and going – and Fonzie wins, though Richie’s somehow certain that his incredible Fonzarelli charisma probably has something to do with that. At least Fonzie gives him the ol’ dip and kiss, just to make up the difference.

%%%%

As a graduation present Howard brings up the long-buried topic again; Richie can have a car, but wouldn’t he rather have a whole house to work from? 

Fonzie’s getting ready to go back to school, Richie’s trying to scrounge up his first cub reporter gig, and a house is exactly what they don’t need at a time like this. But heck, says Fonzie – let’s take a lookamundo. He needs a good neighborhood to plant Chachi in, and Richie needs a number for the paper to call that won’t be intercepted by his well-meaning mother. Richie mentally and successfully translates “a lookamundo” to the notion of them spending many an afternoon traversing the loop around the Milwaukee suburbs as they try to find a place that is close enough to the paper and close enough to the community college. Again, it’s something of a struggle. Richie ends up wondering if he’s just trying to replace the feeling of home and hearth he’s losing back home. The colors and light are all wrong in the only house that’s five minutes from both directions.

He’s the one who calls a halt to the process this time, exhausted, sore of mind and feet, and Fonzie is visibly disappointed with his choice – but he can’t really argue with Richie when he’s really upset. They end up at Arnolds’ they stick around in his apartment for the time being – and Howard uses Richie’s graduation present cash to have a private phone line installed in the garage.

%%%%

Richie doesn’t know what to expect from life on the political beat in Washington, but isn’t the constant parade of parties and press conferences that he’d predicted when he took the job six months ago.

Fonzie can’t be with him; mostly because of his teaching job, and partially because of his partial stake in Arnolds’. So they burn up the phone lines in the distance, falling asleep in phone booths listening to the sound of each other breathing.

Richie sees hundreds of houses in Washington – some of them fancy, some of them plain – but none of them are home without Fonzie. 

%%%%

He comes back – to stay – when a huge story broke about corruption in Milwaukee’s unions. Richie has an in with Laverne and Shirley down at Shotz, and they end up an invaluable resource  
Fonzie introduces him to the new gang (well, to the new gang who happen not to be his cousins). He soaks in the atmosphere of the refurbished and remodeled Arnolds’.

And he meets Danny.

Richie’s not surprised that Fonzie’s finally gravitated toward adoption – in fact, he’s thrilled. Danny’s a smart boy, solid and true and strong, and he’s just what Richie imagined Fonzie would have in a child.

They were ready to settle down. But a garage apartment, while wonderful for love affairs and symbolic marriages, sort of stinks when you’re raising a kid.

Fonzie’s the one who finds the house this time, a beautiful place lined with bushes, with a big back yard for Danny to run around in. They decorate the place together, and once it’s ready they throw a big party for everybody.

And when the crowds clear out and Danny’s in bed, they’re alone, dancing to an old Fats Domino record. They hold on to each other as they walk toward the bedroom – and while Richie won’t let Fonzie carry him over the threshold, it’s a satisfactory start to life in suburbia.


End file.
